Operator for cover of soaking pit furnaces



Dec. 3, 1940.

MQRTON ET AL.

OPERATOR FOR COVER OF SOAKING PIT FURNACES Original Filed July 5, 1934 IN VEN TORS.

Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED u STATES PATENT or ies orsnsroaroa covna or some rrr sons William A. Morton, Mount Lebanon, and Howard F. Spencer, Pittsburgh. Pa assignors to Ameo, Incorpora Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania 3 Cid This'invention relates to new and useful improvements in furnace door operating mechanism and the present application-is a division of an application serially numbered 733,812 filed July 5, 1934, which is a continuation in part of an application filed February 14, 1934, serially numbered 711,166. 7 v

The invention is especially adapted for fuel fired-furnaces such as soaking pit furnaces or the like from which the charge is periodically removed and new charges entered without materially interrupting the normal operation of the furnace. Obviously, such intermittent exposures of the heating chamber result in a great loss of heat, and it is, therefore, among the objects of the invention to not only provide for a cover constructed to eillciently seal the heating chamber when in closed position, but to reduce the heat loss to a minimum during the opening an closing movements thereof.

To this end, provision is made to seal the cover with the furnace roof or wall when in the closed pofltion and to maintain a partial-seal thereof during the opening and closing movements.

The invention will become more apparent in connection with a description of the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of cover and cover operating mechanism for a pit or other type of furnace;

Fig. 2 a front elevational view thereof; Fig. 3 a sectional elevation taken along the line 1: 1

Fig. 4 a sectional line 4-4, Fig. i;

Fig. 5 a cross-sectional view of a fragmentary portion of the cover and roof illustrating a granular yielding seal; and

Fig. 6 a similar view of a cover edge seal in accordance with Fig. 3 of the drawing.

The structure of I Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive comprises a cover for closing and sealing a furnace and the operating mechanism for the cover member. The cover consists of refractory material I mounted in channels 2 which latter are attached to I-beams 3 of a wheeled carriage. A plurality of Journal brackets to are secured to the I-beams 3 and a pair of'parallel shafts in are Journalled in brackets to. The carriage is mounted on a pair of wheeled axles I disposed Pa allel to shafts la and having wheels I movable on tracks 8. Shafts la and 4 are, respectively, provided with levers la and lb, the latter extending across the shafts 4 and la, and levers is having connecelevation taken along the tions through links 8 with cranks i of a transmission mechanism IO that is actuated by a motor Ii.

As illustrated m Fig. 1 of the drawing, the lever ib is fixed to the shaft to and iournalled on the axle 4, and the levers in are fixed on shafts 40 so that levers Ia and lb jointly constitute a hell 7 crank.

' ii that are actuated by transmission is and a motor 85. lowering of the cover is retarded by the s w-pot effect of the fluid cylinders 2|. The transmissions i and I4 and the motors ii and I! are mounted 'on sheet metal plates supported on the I-beams 3 of the carriage. The cover I spans the opening of the furnace, such as a soaking pit furnace and extends over the roove or channel It of the side walls ll of the furnace. The cover I is coextensive with the furnace walls H and may be'moved on track 6 in either direction to'expose a portion or all of the furnace chamber therebeneath for charging or discharging the ingots to and from the furnace.

' The grooves it are filled with calcined flint, clay,

sand or other granular refractory material I8, and a refractory slab is having a V-wedge 20 is adapted to project into the sand i8, the inclination of the wedge 20 being greater than the angle of repose of the sealing material l8 so that when by-passing of the fluid from either side of the piston, the adjustment being such thatthe cover may be rapidly lifted and its lowering movement retarded as desired.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4. metal plates 23 are employed in addition to the refractory slabs I! to extend beyond the wedge 20 of the refractory slabs. The refractory members a view of Fig. 6 illustrates the use of refractory wedge-shaped side members I! on all sides of the cover member, also clearly showing the clamping shoes 24 held by bolts 25 adjacent the faceof "direction of movement of the cover when motor 45 is operated.

Thus the cover is adapted to be raised a sumcient amount to lift the refractory wedges it out of the seal and yet retain the ends of the metal plates 23 in the seal on one side, which seal is maintained during the lateral movement of the cover. The efilcient sealing of the furnace is important for saving of fuel and eliminates destruction of the edges of the cover by flames belching from the furnace when it should be normally tight. The cushioning'of the descending cover by the liquid displacement cylinders prevents unnecessary shock to the cover refractories during the descending movement, the movements of the cover being utilized to exercise control on the gas and air supply passages of the furnace as is disclosed in the above mentioned co-pending application of which the pres ent case is a division.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

We claim: 1. A closure and operating mechanism for industrlal heating furnaces comprising a cover mounted onwheeled axles for movement directly above the furnace opening, and secured thereto by levers fulcrumedon the wheeled axles, means mounted on said cover for raising the cover on the wheeled axle supports, and means operative independently of saidcover raising means for actuating the wheeled axles to traverse the cover vlaterally of the furnace opening.

2. A closure andoperating mechanism for industrial heating furnaces comprising a cover having wheeled axles mounted for movement on a pair of rails adjacent the furnace opening, said cover having a 'pair of shafts with bell crank levers connecting said shafts to the wheeled axles and crank operated means for actuating the bell cranl; levers to raise the cover on the wheeled I axle supports, and means mounted on the cover and operative independent of aid cover raising mechanism to actuate the wheeled axles for moving the cover on its supporting rails.

3. A closure and operating mechanism for industrial heating furnaces comprising a cover having wheeled axles mounted for movement on a pair of rails adjacent the furnace opening, said cover having a pair of shafts with bell crank levers connecting said shafts to the wheeled axles I and crank operating. means for actuating the bell crank levers to raise the cover on the wheeled axle supports, means mounted on'the cover and operative independent of said' cover raising mechanism to actuate the wheeled axles for mov- F. SPENCER. 

